It happens to all Mac users at some point - an ap­pli­ca­tion “freezes” and can no longer be quit in the usual manner. The main reason is usually an over­loaded RAM. Or in other words, in­suf­fi­cient computer memory to run the ap­pli­ca­tions that are open, including open browser tabs. We'll show you how to force quit a Mac program quickly.

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Quick guide: force quit on Mac

Beware: When forcing programs to close, data may be lost!

Method 1:

  • Quit an ap­pli­ca­tion in the fore­ground with the [CMD] + [Q] shortcut.
  • Al­ter­na­tive­ly, click on the app name in the menu bar at the top and select “Quit [app name]”.

Method 2:

  • Select the Apple menu from the top left.
  • Click “Force quit”.
  • Select ap­pli­ca­tion to force quit from the menu window.

Method 3:

  • Use the shortcut [CMD] + [OPTION] + [ESC].
  • Select ap­pli­ca­tion to force quit from menu.

Method 4:

  • Open Activity Monitor: Search with [CMD] + SPACEBAR or via Spotlight (mag­ni­fy­ing glass icon in the upper right corner).
  • Select ap­pli­ca­tion from menu.
  • Close with the cross icon in the upper left corner.

Method 1: Quit program

Before you force quit an ap­pli­ca­tion on a Mac, wait a few minutes and try to quit it in the usual way. This gives you a chance to the save your content before closing the ap­pli­ca­tion. When doing so ensure that the cor­re­spond­ing ap­pli­ca­tion is in the fore­ground, i.e. displayed at the top left of the menu bar next to the Apple icon. Now enter the key com­bi­na­tion [CMD] + [Q] to close the program.

Instead of using a shortcut, Mac users can also click on the app name in the menu bar at the top. A drop-down menu opens with the option “Quit XYZ”.

Note

Use the following methods to force quit a program. This fixes issues such as frozen ap­pli­ca­tions, but unsaved files and data may be lost.

Method 2: Force quit via Apple menu

If the ap­pli­ca­tion isn’t re­spond­ing and you cannot quit it as per method 1, you can force quit the Mac program following these steps:

  1. Ensure that the ap­pli­ca­tion you wish to force quit is in the fore­ground and click on the Apple symbol in the menu bar at the top left.
  2. Select “Force Quit…” from the dropdown menu.
  3. Select the ap­pli­ca­tion you want to shut down and click on “Force Quit”.
Image: Force quitting on a Mac: Force quit program via Apple menu bar
Click on the Apple icon and then on “Force Quit”.
Tip

If you’re not sure which ap­pli­ca­tion is slowing down your Mac, look for the programs that have a “Not re­spond­ing” notice displayed next to them.

Method 3: Force quit Mac ap­pli­ca­tion via shortcut

If you prefer Mac shortcuts or if your mouse or trackpad does not respond anymore, method 2 can also be executed via a key com­bi­na­tion.

Press the key com­bi­na­tion [CMD] + [OPTION] + [ESC]. This launches the Mac task manager. Select the frozen ap­pli­ca­tion in the dialog box as per method 2, and then click “Force Quit”.

Tip

Mac shortcuts are not only useful to force quit ap­pli­ca­tions. Different keyboard shortcuts can save time if you fre­quent­ly execute the same commands in your workflow.

Method 4: Force quit Mac ap­pli­ca­tion via Activity Monitor

Where several ap­pli­ca­tions are frozen or you want to check which program is causing the issue, it’s best to check in the Activity Monitor. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Press the key com­bi­na­tion [CMD] + SPACEBAR or click on Spotlight (the mag­ni­fy­ing glass icon) in the top right corner of your display.
  2. Enter “Activity Monitor” into the search bar and hit Enter.
Image: Force quitting on a Mac: Open Activity Monitor via Spotlight
Enter “Activity Monitor” via Spotlight search bar and hit enter.
  1. Select the ap­pli­ca­tions you wish to terminate.
  2. Click on the cross to the upper left if you want to force quit the selected Mac ap­pli­ca­tion.
Image: Force quitting on a Mac: Force quit via Activity Monitor
Select the ap­pli­ca­tion and then click on the cross icon in the upper left corner.

Last resort: restart­ing the Mac

If frozen ap­pli­ca­tions do not respond and cannot be ter­mi­nat­ed using one of the methods described above, you can force a restart of the Mac. To do this, hold down the [CTRL] + [CMD] + On/Off keys. Please note that unsaved data and files may be lost.

Tip

If one or more ap­pli­ca­tions keep freezing, there might be a system error. In this case, you may wish to restart your Mac in recovery mode to restore a specific system version.

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